City College of San Francisco

Beginning Yoga

Instructor: brittany brown ceres

bceres@ccsf.edu / 415-794-0752

Beginning Yoga Terminology

Sanskrit - Language of Ancient Indian where Yoga originated
YOGA Union: mind, body & spirit in communication and awareness.
HATHA - Ha = Sun, Tha = Moon; representing duality in balance.
PRANA Life force, energy that moves through all earthly things. (In Japan = Qi, China = Chi)
NADI - Channel for the movement of prana running through the body like a super highway.
There are said to be 72,000 channels running through each body. The three main channels are:
Sushunma Central flow of prana up the spinal column
Ida spiral flow of prana up the Sushumna beginning at the left side of the base and
exiting through the left nostril, associated with feminine energy
Pingala - spiral flow of prana up the Sushumna beginning at the right side of the base &
exiting through the right nostril, associated with masculine energy
CHAKRA Wheel of light refers to each of the seven physical areas of the body wherein the
three main nadis (Sushunma, Ida & Pingala) intersect. See Chakra Chart.
ASANA - Asana is defined as "posture;" its literal meaning is "seat." Originally, the asanas
served as stable postures for prolonged meditation. More than just stretching, asanas open the
energy channels, chakras and psychic centers of the body. Asanas purify and strengthen the
body and control and focus the mind. Asana is one of the eight limbs of classical Yoga, which
states that asana should be steady and comfortable, firm yet relaxed.
PRANAYAMA - When holding a yoga posture, make sure you can breathe slowly and deeply,
using your breath control.
VINYASA - Yoga posture sequences are a series of postures arranged to flow together one
after the next. This is often called vinyasa or a yoga flow.
ASHTANGA - eight limbs of yoga practice. Each limb relates to an aspect of achieving a healthy
and fulfilling life, and each builds upon the one before it.
STHIRA Firm, Solid, Durable, Lasting, Compact, Persistent, Permanent
SUKHA - Flexible, Pliable, Adaptable, Permiable, Mobile
DUHKHA - Bad space or energy, translated as pain or sorrow.
DIRGA PRANAYAMA Three Part Breath Abdomen, Side ribs, upper chest cavity.
UJJIAYI PRANAYAMA Victory Breath or Ocean Breath, inhalation air brushes the back of the
throat as it enters the body, exhalation air grazes the roof of the mouth as it exits, creating a
soft ebb and flow sound of the ocean.
KAPALABHATI PRANAYAMA - Shining Skull breath 2 extended breaths and 4 quick forced
exhale pulses from the diaphragm.

City College of San Francisco

Beginning Yoga

Instructor: brittany brown ceres

bceres@ccsf.edu / 415-794-0752

INTELLIGENT EDGE - Go to your edge in the posture, holding where you feel a good stretch
and/or your body working, but dont feel pain, strain or fatigue.
SURYA NAMASKA - Sun Salutation this vinyasa is rarely referred to by its Sanskrit name.

Standing/Sun Salutation Poses

Mountain Pose - Tadasana
Standing Forward Bend - Uttanasana
Plank Pose Puvottanasana
Knees, Chest, and Chin in a line just off the floor - Chattaranga Dandasana
Cobra Pose - Bhujangasana
Downward Facing Dog - Adho Mukha Svanasana
Cat/Cow Sequence
Crow Pose - Bakasana
Standing Straddle Forward Bend - Prasarita Padottanasana
Warrior I - Virabhadrasana I
Warrior II - Virabhadrasana II
Reverse Warrior
Extended Side Angle Pose - Utthita Parsvakonasana
Triangle Pose - Trikonasana
Seated Poses
Staff Pose (Seated- legs straight) - Dandasana
Seated Straight legged Forward Bend - Paschimottanasana
Butterfly Pose - Baddha Konasana
Cross-legged Easy Pose - Sukasana
Half Lord of the Fishes Pose - Ardha Masyendrasana
Head to Knee Pose - Janu Sirsanana
Seated Wide Legged Stradle - Upavistha Konasana
Resting/Supine Poses
Child's Pose - Balasana
Corpse Pose - Savasana
Happy Baby Pose - Ananda Balasana
Reclined Big Toe Pose - Supta Padangusthasana (Use a Strap)
Supine Spinal Twist - Supta Masyendrasana
Backbends
Bridge Pose - Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Supported version with a block)
Plough Pose - Halasana
Balancing Poses
Side Plank Variations - Vasisthasana Variations
Tree Pose - Vrksasana

City College of San Francisco

Beginning Yoga

Instructor: brittany brown ceres

bceres@ccsf.edu / 415-794-0752

13 Obstacles to Yoga Practice

The path of yoga can be long and hard, filled with obstacles, pitfalls, and detours. Luckily, yogic
philosophy provides a roadside assistance program to aid you when you become stuck. The yogis
who have traveled the path before us have left us a troubleshooting guide called the 13 obstacles of
yoga. The nine main obstacles of yoga are:
1. Vyadhi - Illness, disease, physical or mental. It is difficult to do yoga if you are physically sick.
Thus it is important to lead a healthy lifestyle for the prevention of illness and promotion of
optimal health.
2. Styana - Apathy, disinclination towards performing ones kartavya or duty. By procrastinating,
we avoid our practice and create excuses for not being on the path and doing the work.
3. Sanshaya - doubting ones capability or the result of yoga. We can only come to know Reality,
declares the Brihad-ranyaka-Upanishad (4.4.23), when we are free from doubt. It is
important to cultivate faith in oneself as well as the yogic path.
4. Pramada - Heedlessness, carelessness, a lack of persistence. Yoga is both a science and art
and approaching it without skill, care, respect and devotion will create erratic and possible
negative results.
5. Alasya - Sloth, inertia of mind or body due to dominance of the tamasic element. Yoga
requires discipline, zeal and tapas (will-power) to succeed on its path. Laziness will prevent
you from attaining your highest potential.
6. Avirati - Overindulgence, attachment to pleasurable things. We must learn to let go of our
attachments to desire and physical objects if we are to make progress in yoga.
7. Bhrantidarshan - False vision, a premature sense of certainty. The development of a false
notion about the practice of yoga and its outcome can not only lead one off the path of yoga,
but also create harm and disappointment.
8. Alabdha-bhumikatva - Non-attainment of the next yogic stage or accomplishment. This
happens due to faulty or poor practice and creates a feeling of being stuck and leads to
discouragement.
9. Anawasthitatwa - Instability, non-permanence of a yogic accomplishment or stage. Not able to
maintain an attained stage can be a real drag. This again can be a result of faulty or poor
practice.
When any of these primary obstacles are encountered, four minor obstacles may appear according to
the circumstances:
1. Duhkha - Pain or sorrow
2. Daurmanasya - depression, pain caused by non-fulfilment of desires.
3. Angamejayatwa - the shivering of parts of the body.
4. Shvsa-prashvsa - disturbances in kumbhaka or breath retention causing the irregular
breathing pattern that comes with mental agitation.
You will need to be able to remove all these obstacles at will to be successful in yoga. They may
appear at any time, and if not conquered during their first appearance, they are most likely to return
until you learn how to overcome them.
The key to the removal of any and all of the above obstacles is the cultivation of the one-pointedness
of mind. These obstacles will naturally pass with time unless we allow ourselves to become entangled
and bogged down in them. By focusing all of your attention on a single object the obstacles dissolve
and begin to lose their importance and power.

City College of San Francisco

Beginning Yoga

Instructor: brittany brown ceres

bceres@ccsf.edu / 415-794-0752

Beginning Yoga Further Study

Yoga as a way of Life
What are the Eight Limbs of Yoga?:
According to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, one of the ancient texts that is the basis for the philosophy
behind yoga, there are eight limbs (Ashtanga in Sanskrit) of yoga. Each limb relates to an aspect of
achieving a healthy and fulfilling life, and each builds upon the one before it. You may be surprised to hear
that only one of the limbs involves the performance of yoga postures. Here is a description of the eight
limbs.
1. Yama: Five ethical guidelines regarding moral behavior towards others:
Ahimsa: Nonviolence
Satya: Truthfulness
Asteya: Nonstealing
Brahmacharya: Nonlust
Aparigraha: Noncovetesness
2. Niyama: Five ethical guidelines regarding moral behavior towards oneself:
Saucha: Cleanliness
Santosa: Contentment
Tapas: Sustained practice
Svadhyaya: Self study
Isvara pranidhana: Surrender to God
3. Asana: Practice of yoga postures.
4. Pranayama: Practice of breathing exercises.
5. Pratyahara: Withdrawal of the senses, meaning that the exterior world is not a distraction from the
interior world within oneself.
6. Dharana: Concentration, meaning the ability to focus on something uninterrupted by external or
internal distractions.
7. Dhyana: Meditation. Building upon Dharana, the concentration is no longer focused on a single thing
but is all encompassing.
8. Samadhi: Bliss. Building upon Dhyana, the transcendence of the self through meditation. The merging
of the self with the universe. Sometimes translated as enlightenment.
Sources:
Light on Life, B.K.S. Iyengar, 2005.
Yoga: The Iyengar Way, Mira Silva and Shyam Mehta, 1990.

City College of San Francisco

Beginning Yoga

Instructor: brittany brown ceres

bceres@ccsf.edu / 415-794-0752